Assessment of CO2 emissions reduction in a distribution warehouse

Building energy use accounts for almost 50% of the total CO2 emissions in the UK. Most ofthe research has focused on reducing the operational impact of buildings, however in recent yearsmany studies have indicated the significance of embodied energy in different building types. This paperprimarily focuses on illustrating the relative importance of operational and embodied energy in aflexible use light distribution warehouse. The building is chosen for the study as it is relatively easy tomodel and represents many distribution centres and industrial warehouses in Europe.A carbon footprinting study was carried out by conducting an inventory of the major installedmaterials with potentially significant carbon impact and material substitutions covering the buildingstructure. Ecotect computer simulation program was used to determine the energy consumption forthe 25 years design life of the building. This paper evaluates alternative design strategies for theenvelope of the building and their effects on the whole life emissions by investigating both embodiedand operational implications of changing the envelope characteristics. The results provide an insight toquantify the total amount of CO2 emissions saved through design optimisation by modelling embodiedand operational energy.